Are there any singers/actors/tv presenters whose continued success you find utterly baffling?

[Pinkarsedfly]

I’m just watching TOTP from 1988 and Kim Wilde’s on.

I’m sure she’s a lovely woman, but fuck me, the lass couldn’t sing. Or dance. Or mime.
And yet, she’s still doing the rounds, all these decades later.

See also Bananarama. Who goes to see these acts?

I’m not sure if it’s me that’s missing something, so which acts leave you confused at their success?

Jesse J is a brilliant singer so she's not on my list.
Tess Daly- I try to like her on Strictly but she's just awful
Lulu
Paul McCartney, Rod Stewart, Madonna- the voices have all aged and sound rubbish- time to retire!
Amanda Holden-I don't see her in anything but every time I see her face in a magazine, she just irritates me. I think she's modelling her 'down to earth' persona on Kate Winslet and it doesn't work as she's clearly a right luvie.
Really like Olivia Coleman as an actress but her behaviour when collecting her Oscar was truly cringeworthy!

My two penneth-

Tess bland and blonde Faily
Caroline Flack off
Fearne I love my success so much I'll patronise others in a few token books about cooking and being happy Cotton.
Rick Stein old trout
Fiona Bruce ruining AR
Amanda no talent I'll be the nice one Holden
Sylvester Stalone please go home
Dominic bald knight in shining armour cockney diamond geezer catching dodgy builders on the BBC
Joe Swash
Laura Whitmore
Shirley Ballast judge on Strictly. Her facial expressions give me the rage.
Ben Fogle what a joke
Nick Knowles always looks like he needs a damn good wash and a better dentist for the money he's been on doing DIYSOS for years and years and years....

Totally disagree about Harry Hill - he's an acquired taste but I think he's hilarious.
Disagree about Claudia she is also very clever and funny in real life. People forget she has an autocue for strictly that she doesn't write herself but at least her personality shines through unlike Faily. Casualty's Charlie is a legend but I disagree regarding his pay and the actress who plays Duffy only has three faces - happy, confused and sad. Rinse and repeat.

Holly and Phil take the absolute piss with their laughing fits on This Morning. It would never be allowed in any other show because its so unprofessional. But I'd be laughing too if I had their wages. So, by all means carry on laughing coz it's obvious ITV won't be getting rid of you both anytime soon on those ridiculous salaries.

The desperate Caroline Flack, a 40 year old presented to us and acts like, a teenage stunner. Maybe she identifies as an adolescent. I find the whole thing weird.

I know! And articles about her always reference her amazing legs. I've looked and looked and I just can't see it.

Most celebs really. I’m just so bored of the same old, same old, being wheeled out year after year ad nauseum, in the same boring programmes.
‘Celebrities’ my arse. I wouldn’t cross the road to meet any of them.
(Think I’m getting old and cynical).

Paloma Faith. Doesn't sing. Just shouts. She's dreadful
That Dom bloke used to be a burglar so he can piss off.
Amanda Holden is quite a good comedy actress I think
I love Rylan.
Stacey big gob married to Swash, they are Possibly the worlds most irritating couple.
Nick Knowles is creepy. As is that baker bloke with the white hair.
Emma I used to be in Harry Potter who thinks her opinions and views are interesting. They aren't and she is a terrible actress.
Used to like Jennifer Lawrence but she takes herself very seriously now
Do not get me started on lily allen.
Bananarama couldn't sing or dance. They were shit.

Paloma Faith was hands down the worst gig I have ever been to. What made it even worse (the sound and performance was dreadful) was that she constantly politicised everything and tried to force her agenda on the audience. I actually agreed with most of her politics but constantly found myself thinking "shutupshutupshutup".

I saw her at the Manchester Arena only a few months after it re-opened after the terrorist attack in which many people lost their lives. For most of the crowd it was the first time being there since and the atmosphere had been more sombre than usual. It was on everyone's minds as we passed through greater security. I was there with someone who was staff at the Ariana Grande Concert and who missed the bomb by absolute chance. She was struggling with anxiety and hadn't been back at work long. Her last memories of the place prior to the PF concert were quite horrific as she'd been part of the clean up after the tragic event.

Paloma Faith asked us all to stop for a moment and recall the fact that people just like us attending the concert had died in that very place and to bring them to mind. She then said maybe it wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for our policies and the fact we had bombed innocent civilians in the Middle East and that we should try and empathize instead of reacting with anger.

It's a valid point but was totally insensitive and inappropriate at that time. I honestly thought "what a complete fuckwit". The rest of the night was littered with similar comments. I'm sure she thought she'd given us a good education and that we had all left indoctrinated into her way of thinking.

There is nothing on earth you could pay me to go back to one of her gigs, I was miserable from about the second song onwards.

And the above comments come from someone who has The Dixie Chicks and their song Not Ready To Make Nice as one of their favourite bands and songs.

(The lead singer received death threats for speaking out against US foreign policy and wrote the song in response. Difference is she always picked the right time and place and showed at least a modicum of intelligence).

Joe swash... I bet he’s a lovely bloke and I’m glad he and Stacey have found one another
But a presenter... argh he grates on me so much
His voice is like fingernails down a blackboard
Jeff brazier, jade goodys ex... again another nice man but another one who I find insipid
Rylan ... he’s ok but why resurrect supermarket boring sweep

Rylan you are so much better than this
I used to like Kate Thornton .. but she’s hardly on tv these days
And please get rid of screeching Emma or tone her down a bit at least

I remember an interview where Paloma Faith said Owen Jones was her best friend and taught her everything she needed to know about politics.

Like the missing piece of the puzzle, gig goers?!

Saw David Morrissey in Norwich he was fab and came across as a really nice person.

He's brilliant as Aulus Plautius in Britannia. "Are you pissing in my bath? You are, you've got that face."

Ed Sheehan 100%
It’s as if he sold his soul to the devil to become rich and famous as I see nothing otherwise

Ooh I’m loving this thread
Adele- tedious droney songs sang in a shouty stage school style
Email Sande - obviously for same reasons as above

Rylan
Gregg Wallace
Monty bloody Don
Tom Allen

Monty Don and Rylan I’m happy to agree are probably just me. Tom Allen just isn’t funny though and obviously thinks SOOOOO much of himself. Gregg Wallace is just a grim, nasty person.

Watching Monty Don is my happy place @BouleBaker. I agree with you about Gregg Wallace though, I love Masterchef: the professionals, but only the episodes without him.

Why, when there are far more men than women on our screens and airwaves, are there so many more women than men cited on here?

Steve Wright
Lorraine Kelly

Dermot O'Leary
Chris Evans
Phillip Schofield
Holly Willoughby
Tess Daly
Davina McCall
The Kardashians
Keith Lemon
Gino d'campo
Greg Wallace
Gary Barlow

vast majority of 'celebs' tbh that are not quality actors with talent or one of the few newreaders who do it well

I've seen today that Paul mcCartney is going to be at Glastonbury next year. He is a legend I agree, but (sorry) I don't think his voice, live, is all that any more. Ditto Elton John. He is a quality songwriter and amazing performer but the last time I saw him live on something his voice was not great.
Sometimes I think how frustrating it must be to be a really talented young musician or singer waiting for a break when people that were good 20 or 30 years ago are still being booked despite not actually being that great singers anymore. (Obviously I get that you wouldn't book a complete nobody for glastonbury!)

Pail McCarthy hasn't been able to sing for over 30 years, poor Glastonbury.

^ Paul.

These threads are always the same - Keira Knightley this, Tess Daly that. Come on you lot, think of someone different fgs.

I can take or leave a lot of the names on this thread but I appreciate other people like them as other people have a different opinion to me.

Having said that, the one person I think we can all go “WTF” about why the hell he is successful is the Hollywood actor Mark Wahlberg.

My father mentioned Don Warrington. I see his point but I'm still re-watching Death in Paradise

Already seen a lot of mine but in addition:

Sam Smith - I just dont get the appeal. he sounds very nasally!
Agree with Paul McCartney - have never liked his voice or music

Kevin Bacon - those EE adverts REALLY annoy me
Amol Raja ( I think that's his second name - he's OK on the radio in small doses but rubbish on The One Show last week)

And yes yes to Amanda Holden, Keira Knightley, et al!